To anyone with imminent plans to build their first PC or upgrade their existing setup, you should definitely consider doing it now, or at least in the next few months — and not just because of epic holiday deals.
The looming worry in my head, and the heads of other concerned Redditors, is that President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial tariff promises will be enacted after the start of his second term in 2025.
A presidential candidate’s campaign promises don’t always hold up once in office, of course, so there’s a possibility no additional tariffs will be imposed on goods from other countries. However, looking at Trump’s track record with imposed tariffs from his first term, there’s a solid chance PC component prices on everything from the best graphics cards to the best DDR5 RAM may soon rise sharply.
What are Trump’s proposed tariffs?
In a Fox News interview in February, Trump was asked about past statements regarding imposing 60% tariffs on Chinese goods, and he replied: “No, I would say maybe it’s going to be more than that.” Similar statements were made throughout the campaign, further cementing the idea of 60% or higher tariffs on goods imported from China.
Then, at a campaign rally in August, Trump said, “We’re going to have 10 to 20 percent tariffs on foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years.” A sweeping 10% or 20% tariff for imported goods from all countries isn’t necessarily great and would likely raise consumer prices — according to many economic experts and the nonpartisan Tax Foundation — but it’s the high potential tariff on Chinese goods that’s truly worrisome for PC-building enthusiasts.
How potential tariffs could affect PC component prices
According to a study published by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), high-performance GPUs could see the sharpest increase in price among PC components. An example mentioned was a $900 high-end GPU potentially rising to a new price of $1,300 — that’s roughly a 40% increase.
While post-tariff GPUs would cause the biggest hit to your wallet, other PC component prices are expected to rise as well because the United States imports a lot of computer parts from countries in Southeast Asia, like Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and of course, China.
Newegg Business writes, “Finished components like DRAM and SSDs use domestically-produced NAND wafers. The other parts of the component—circuit boards, controllers, and assembly—are imported from around the globe, mainly China.” According to the site, it’s “next to impossible to build a PC exclusively sourced from North America.”
Unfortunately, that means your PC component prices will go up. Although some statements have been made about consumers not paying any more for goods, and that it’ll be the countries the tariffs are imposed on that will pay, that’s not true — at least, not according to Ed Brzytwa, CTA’s VP of International Trade.
In an interview with Tom’s Hardware, Brzytwa said: “Tariffs are regressive taxes that Americans pay. They’re not paid by a foreign government. They’re taxes that importers in the United States pay and foreign governments and foreign countries do not pay those tariffs.” He went on to explain that nearly 100% of the cost of past tariffs on certain Chinese imports — imposed by both the Trump and Biden administrations — were passed on to consumers.
Gaming laptops, peripherals, and console prices are expected to go up, too
I’d wager most people who build PCs are hobby gamers as well, and unfortunately, the gaming industry is expected to get hit pretty hard if tariffs are imposed.
According to the CTA study mentioned earlier, computer accessories could go up by 10.9% with an average retail cost increase of around $25. I’m assuming ‘computer accessories’ encompasses most peripherals, like keyboards, mice, microphones, etc.
Monitors are listed as a separate category by the CTA. The study suggests monitors could go up by 31.2% with an average retail cost increase of $109. This potential price boost is just the last push for me to finally upgrade my two monitors to snazzy OLED models.
The CTA says general laptops could rise in price by 46%, tacking on an extra $357 on average to the retail cost. With gaming laptops equipped with discrete GPUs, I imagine gaming laptops will see an even steeper price increase.
Finally, video game console prices could rise by almost 40%. By this estimate, the $699 PS5 Pro could end up costing you almost $1,000; the $349 Nintendo Switch OLED may cost as much as $490; and the $499 Xbox Series X could cost almost $700.
Considering the Nintendo Switch 2 likely has an early 2025 release date, these potential price increases are definitely disheartening. On the plus side, Nintendo has confirmed the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, so I’ll probably just stick with my original Switch if the Switch 2 ends up costing almost $500.
When will these possible tariffs be in place?
It’s entirely possible that Trump’s proposed tariffs could be enacted on day one of his second term: January 20, 2025.
Jake Colvin, President of the National Foreign Trade Council, said (via CBS News), “If they decide on day one that they want to use executive authority to put tariffs on Chinese goods, they could probably go ahead and do that.”
Is it likely that tariffs will be imposed on day one? Perhaps not. You might have a few months to squeeze in a PC upgrade before higher prices hit, depending on which tasks take priority for the Trump administration.
Inu Manak, a trade policy fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told CBS MoneyWatch that Trump will likely enact tariffs “soon after taking office,” so buying your PC components as soon as you’re able will be the smartest way to avoid price hikes.
Tips for upgrading your PC setup
If you’re not sure where to start with building your first tower or upgrading your PC components, we’ve got you covered. Here are our extensive guides on how to build a PC and how to upgrade your PC to help you through the process.
Or, if you’re still in the research phase, trying to find out which GPU can handle the games you want to play, how much RAM you truly need, which motherboard to pick for your first-time build, and so on, we’ve tested multiple PC components and compiled extensive lists of our favorite picks:
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sarahnchaney@gmail.com (Sarah Chaney)
